Device and a method for transferring a charge of material



K. B- CRASWELL DEVICE AND A METHOD FOR TRANSFERRING Nov. 8, 1966 ACHARGE OF MATERIAL Filed Sept. 21, 1964 m F 3 1 7 m 0 I v F K /w Wlyllwil hdwlm w IIIIII liluww FIG.2

United States Patent G 3,283,956 DEVICE AND A METHOD FOR TRANSFERRIN ACHARGE OF MATERIAL Kenneth Briggs Craswell, Cheltenham, England,assignor to Bir-Vac Limited, Cheltenham, England, a British companyFiled Sept. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 397,889 Claims priority, applicationGreat Britain, Sept. 23, 1963, 37,413/63 5 Claims. (Cl. 222-1) Thisinvention relates to a device and a method for transferring a charge ofmaterial.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided adevice for transferring a charge of material from a first zone to asecond zone at a pressure lower than that of said first zone, comprisinga housing member having a hole therethrough for connection at one end tothe said first zone and at the other end to the said second zone, aturnable element turnably mounted in the said hole, duct means extendingthrough said member for connection to a suction apparatus, a recess insaid element, movable by movement of said element, between a chargingposition in which said recess faces upwardly to receive said charge, asecond position in which said recess is in communication with said ductmeans for reduction of the pressure in the said recess, and adischarging position in which said recess faces downwardly anddischarges.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided amethod for transferring a charge of material from a first zone to asecond zone at a pressure lower than that of said first zone, comprisingproviding a turnable element mounted in a hole in a housing memher andhaving an upwardly facing recess in communication with said first zone,charging said recess with said material, moving said element to put saidrecess in communication with duct means connected to a suctionapparatus, creating suction in said duct means so as to reduce thepressure in said recess, and moving said element such that said recessis in communication with said second zone and faces downwardly todischarge said material.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into effect, reference will now be made by way of example to theaccompanying drawing, where- 1n:

FIGURE 1 shows a diagrammatic longitudinal section through a device fortransferring a charge of material, and

FIGURE 2 shows a longitudinal section through part of a modified versionof the device.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the device includes a cylindrical housing tube 1,the tube having an outwardly directed flange 2 at each end thereof andhaving its axis AA extending upwardly. The flange at the lower end ofthe tube 1 is secured by bolts 3 to the wall 4 of a vacuum vessel. Ansealing ring 5 is disposed in a recess of the lower flange andcooperates with the wall 4 to minimise leakage of gas through any gapwhich may exist between the flange and the wall 4. The interior of thetube 1 consists of upper and lower cylindrical bores 6 and 7 leading toa central spherical chamber 8 in which a turnable element in the form ofa ball 9 is located. Sealing rings 10 and 11 are provided in thespherical gap between the ball 9 and the wall of the spherical chamber 8at locations adjacent the upper and lower ends of the spherical chamber.The rings 10 and 11 encircle the axis AA and are disposed at respectiveopposite sides of the axis B of turning of the ball 9. The ball has beendrilled through to form a bore which has then been closed at one end bya disc 12 brazed or welded to the wall of the 3,283,956 Patented Nov. 8,1966 bore in the ball. There is thus provided a recess 13 in whichmaterial to be transferred to the vacuum vessel is placed. The upperbore 6 in the tube 1 communicates with atmosphere and serves as amaterial inlet of the tube, and the lower bore 7 in the tubecommunicates with an aperture in the wall 4 of the vacuum vessel andserves as a material outlet of the tube.

A port 14 is provided in the wall of the tube, the port opening into thechamber 8 at a location between the upper and lower sealing rings. Thisport 14 is connected to a vacuum pump, for example a rotary pump,indicated diagrammatically at 15. For turning the ball 9 about the axisB, there is attached to the ball a shaft 16 which extends to the outsideof the tube 1 where it is provided with a turning lever. 17.

In use of the device, material in the form of, for example, solidcomponents or fluids such as resins, which is to be transferred to thevacuum vessel is placed in the recess 13 through the inlet of the tube 1while the recess 13 occupies its charging position in which it facesupwardly towards the bore 6. The ball 9 is then rotated in the directionof the arrow C so that the recess 13 opens into the spherical gap at alocation between the rings 10 and 11. The vacuum pump 15 connected tothe port 14 then reduces the pressure in the recess thereby to minimisethe quantity of air transferred into the vacuum vessel with the chargeof material. When the ball has rotated through from the chargingposition, the recess faces downwardly towards the bore 7 and thematerial is discharged into the vacuum vessel through the tube outletand the aperture in the wall 4. The ball is subsequenly rotated furtherso that the recess again occupies its charging position and furthermaterial can be placed in the recess.

In practice, the axis AA is inclined at an angle of, say, 30" to thevertical as measured in a sense opposite to that of the arrow C, theaxis B, which intersects perpendicularly the axis A-A, beingapproximately horizontal. This arrangement ensures less loss of materialfrom the recess 13 during turning than would occur if the axis A-A werehorizontal.

The version of FIGURE 2 differs from that of FIG- URE 1 in that thedisc, now referenced 22, is brazed to the wall of the bore in the ballat a location half-way along the bore, whereby two recesses 23 and 24disposed at respective opposite sides of the axis B are formed, andserve to receive material alternately.

I claim:

1. A- device for transferring a charge of material from a first zone toa second zone at a pressure lower than that of said first zone,comprising a housing tube having its axis extending upwardly forconnection at its upper end to said first zone and at its lower end tosaid second zone, a ball turnably mounted in the interior of said tubefor turning about an axis transverse to the first-mentioned axis,portions of said tube and said element defining a spherical gaptherebetween, first and second sealing rings fitted in said gap andencircling the first-mentioned axis and disposed at respective oppositesides of the axis of turning of said ball for preventing fluid fiow fromsaid upper end to said lower end via said gap, portions of said tubedefining a duct extending therethrough and connected to said gap at alocation intermediate said first and second sealing rings, and portionsof said ball defining a recess therein turnable by turning of said ball,between a charging position in which said recess faces upwardly towardssaid upper end and is in communication with said upper end butpractically out of communication with said lower end and said duct, asecond position in which said recess opens into said gap and is thus incommunication with said duct for reduction of the pressure in saidrecess but is practically out of communication with said upper end andsaid lower end, and a discharging position in which said recess facesdownwardly towards said lower end and is in communication with saidlower end but practically out of communication with said upper end andsaid duct.

2. In combination, a vacuum pump, and a device for transferring a chargeof material from a first zone to a second zone at a pressure lower thanthat of said first zone, said device comprising a housing member,portions of said member defining a hole th-erethroughi for connection atone end to said first zone and at the other end to said second zone, atunable element turnaoly mounted in said hoie, duct means extendingthrough said member and connected to said vacuum pump, portions of saidelement defining a blind recess therein movable, by movement of saidelement, among a. charging position in which said recess receives saidcharge, another position in which said recess is in communication withsaid vacuum pump via said duct means for reduction of the pressure insaid recess, and a discharging position in which said recess discharges,and vacuum-tight sealing means between said turnable element and saidhousing member at both ends of said hole adjacent said connect-ions ofsaid hole to said first and second zones, said sealing means forming aneffective seal between said first zone and second zone and between saidfirst and second zones and said duct and vacuum pump connected to saidduct when said element is in communication with said d uct.

- 3. A combination as claimed in claim 2 wherein said housing membercomprises a tube for connection at one end to said first zone and at itsother end to said second zone, and said turnable element comprises aball turnably mounted in the interior of said tube for tanning about anaxis transverse to the tube axis, there being portions of said tube andsaid ball defining a spherical gap therebetween, and said sealing meanscomprising first and second sealing rings fitted in said gap andencircling the first-mentioned axis and disposed at respective oppositesides of the axis of turning of said ball for preventing fluid flow fromsaid one end to said other end via said gap, said duct being connectedto said gap at a location intermediate said first and second sealingrings, and said recess, when in said second position, opening into saidgap and being thus in communication With said duct.

4. A combination as claimed in 2 and further comprising a turning leverconnected to said turnable element and located at the outside of saidmember for turning said element.

5. A method for transferring a charge of material from a first zone to asecond zone at a pressure lower than that of said first zone by means ofa turnab-le element mounted in a hole in a housing member and having I ablind recess comprising the steps of: moving said element so as toposition said blind recess in communication with said first zone,charging said recess with said material, moving said element so as toposition said blind recess in communication with a duct means connected:to a suction pump; reducing the pressure in said blind recess; movingsaid element so as toposition said blind recess in communication withsaid second zone; and discharging said material iirom said blind recessat said reduced pressure into said second zone.

References Cited by the Examiner RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner.

5. A METHOD FOR TRANSFERRING A CHARGE OF MATERIAL FROM A FIRST ZONE TO ASECOND ZONE AT A PRESSURE LOWER THAN THAT OF SAID FIRST ZONE BY MEANS OFA TURNABLE ELEMENT MOUNTED IN A HOLE IN A HOUSING MEMBER AND HAVING ABLIND RECESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: MOVING SAID ELEMENT SO AS TOPOSITION SAID BLIND RECESS IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID FIRST ZONE,CHARGING SAID RECESS WITH SAID MATERIAL, MOVING SAID ELEMENT SO AS TOPOSITION SAID